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Smith:Augusta home of heartbreak

Posted: Saturday, April 09, 2005

AUGUSTA - The Masters often has a way of denying and subsequently rewarding its seasoned participants. It's as if the course issues a reminder that before you win, you must come close a few times before the Green Coat is draped around your shoulders. It was never that way, however, for those named Snead, Palmer, Nicklaus and Tiger.

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Ernie Els has to be bothered that a fickle fate seems to be hovering about in his quest for a title at Augusta. How can a man as big and strong - he of the efficient and fluid swing - not win this event? He already owns two U. S. Open trophies and a British. His game should fit the Augusta National as well as any. Except, perhaps, for putting inconsistency.

Last year Els played the last 12 holes at 6-under-par. And lost. That kind of charge on Sunday often has claimed the title in years past. But it wasn't even enough to gain him a playoff opportunity with Phil Mickelson.

Loran

Smith

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Sometimes the course seems eager to deny and then reward. Craig Wood, who lost to Gene Sarazen in the famous double eagle year of 1935, finally won the Masters in 1941.

Gay Brewer lost in a playoff one year, 1966, and won the championship the next. Billy Casper finished a shot behind in 1969 and took first place a year later.

It should also be noted that Masters fate has been very cruel to several golfers.

Tom Weiskopf finished second on three occasions. When he lost to Jack Nicklaus in 1975 by a stroke, he sat in front of his locker afterward and lamented, "How many times when you're in position to win will you have an opportunity to win the Masters?"

Ed Sneed in 1979 must have felt destiny had something against him.

He played good golf, but bogeyed the last three holes to force a playoff which was won by Fuzzy Zoeller, the only rookie other than Gene Sarazen, to win the tournament.

How could a golfer experience more hard luck than Greg Norman, who saw lightening strike in 1987 when an impossible chip-in on the second extra hole by Larry Mize denied the Aussie the title. His six-stroke lead over Nick Faldo in 1996 was squandered in the collapse of all time.

If anybody's luck was worse than Norman's, it would have to be Ken Venturi. He could have claimed first prize in 1956, but a windy Sunday round of 80 cost him the championship by a stroke to Jack Burke. He was in contention in 1958, but Palmer shot past Venturi and two others to grab his first Masters title. He then denied Venturi, the leader in club house in 1960, with a birdie-birdie finish.

Els hopes to avoid a similar fate, but he knows he must capitalize soon or history might work against him. He has missed only one cut in 11 tournaments; he has twice finished in the top three, the top five on three occasions.

If it is any consolation, it appeared for many years that Ben Hogan was going to experience permanent heartbreak at Augusta. Although he finished in the top 10 17 times and won the Masters twice, Hogan lost in a playoff to Byron Nelson and gave one away before winning his first Green Coat.

When Herman Keiser won in 1946, he had to believe it was a gift.

Hogan came to the final hole with a 5-iron approach that left his ball 21/2 feet above the cup. Make it and Hogan wins his first Masters. Not only did the ball miss and trickle down the slick slope to 4 feet below the cup, Hogan missed the uphill putt coming back, three putting himself into second place.

While the Masters has often rewarded those who fail first, it can permanently deny those who come close as Sneed, Venturi and Norman are painfully aware.

Els, a remarkable talent trying to gain on the rain-soaked 2005 leaders, doesn't want to join that group.